Factors Influencing International Students’ Selection of Universities in China: A Case Study of Selected Universities in China

Abstract

The study’s purpose is to determine the factors influencing international students’ selection of universities in China’s higher education institutions. A survey was conducted using questionnaires administered to 485 international students in Sichuan Province. The Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to ascertain the validity of the research variables and their relationship based on the proposed hypotheses. The results showed that all the four-hypothesis had a positive relationship on students’ choice to the destination of study with an R2 value of 77.9%. The results of the t-statistics revealed that three of the proposed hypothesis suggested that the independent variables influenced students’ selection of universities in China. From the four independent variables, Cost Related Issues was found to have the highest coefficient path, followed by Government Initiatives, Institutional Reputation, and Cultural Adaptability respectively. The study extended the analysis by carrying out the importance-performance map analysis to determine the actual performance of; cost-related issues, government initiatives, institutional reputation, and cultural adaptability with regards to the selection of universities. It will provide the opportunity for the managerial actions prioritization towards the selection of universities in China. It concluded that, by improving international students’ intake, the school authorities must focus on developing systems and policies that will help alleviate the financial responsibilities of their students.